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Four Princes

Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe

By:
John Julius Norwich

Narrated by:
Julian Elfer

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
63

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
58

Story

4 out of 5 stars
58

John Julius Norwich - whom the
Wall Street Journal called "the very model of a popular historian" - has crafted a big, bold tapestry of the early 16th century, when Europe and the Middle East were overshadowed by a quartet of legendary rulers, all born within a 10-year period. Against the vibrant background of the Renaissance, these four men laid the foundations for modern Europe and the Middle East, as they collectively impacted the culture, religion, and politics of their respective domains.

For the most part, very informative.

For the most part, very informative.

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-05-18

Since everything else in this book seemed so well researched, I was very disappointed when the author claimed that Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, had 6 fingers on one of her hands. Any historian worth their salt knows that she certainly did NOT. This was a myth spread around by Catholic propagandists after her death.Otherwise, I thought that this was a great book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

A Memoir

By:
Carrie Brownstein

Narrated by:
Carrie Brownstein

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,400

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,300

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,291

Before Carrie Brownstein became a music icon, she was a young girl growing up in the Pacific Northwest just as it was becoming the setting for one the most important movements in rock history. Seeking a sense of home and identity, she would discover both while moving from spectator to creator in experiencing the power and mystery of a live performance.

Easily One of My Favorite Books

Would you consider the audio edition of Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version yet, but the author does such a fantastic job at narrating that I'd have to say "yes" regardless.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely.

All the Rebel Women

The Rise of the Fourth Wave of Feminism

By:
Kira Cochrane

Narrated by:
Anna Parker-Naples

Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
44

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
40

Story

4 out of 5 stars
40

On a bright day at the Epsom Derby, 4 June 1913, Emily Wilding Davison was hit by the king’s horse in one of the defining moments of the fight for women’s suffrage - what became known as feminism’s first wave. The second wave arose in the late-1960s, activists campaigning tirelessly for women’s liberation, organising around a wildly ambitious slate of issues - a struggle their daughters continued in the third wave that blossomed in the early 1990s. Now, 100 years on from the campaign for the vote, a new tide of feminist voices is rising.

A Good, Brief Overview of Modern Feminism

This book is a good glimpse into the modern feminist movements and why they're so desperately needed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Sex Myth

The Gap Between Our Fantasies and Reality

By:
Rachel Hills

Narrated by:
Callie Beaulieu

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
33

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Fifty years after the sexual revolution, we are told that we live in a time of unprecedented sexual freedom: that if anything, we are too free now. But beneath the veneer of glossy hedonism, millennial journalist Rachel Hills argues, we are controlled by a new brand of sexual convention: one that influences all of us - woman or man, straight or gay, liberal or conservative.

A Must-Read

A Must-Read

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-09-16

What did you love best about The Sex Myth?

This book points out how the modern "sexually-liberated" ideals of our society and pop culture are scarcely different than the prudent, conservative ones from the past. Both ways of thinking, as Rachel Hills reveals, are just different means used by society to dictate how we have should have sex, whom we should have it with, how often we should be having it, etc. It is only when we realize that sex isn't some powerful force, either to be repressed or to be utilized, but just another thing that people do that we can actually be "free."

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Straight

The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality

By:
Hanne Blank

Narrated by:
Fran Tunno

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
83

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
73

Story

4 out of 5 stars
73

It's surprising that the term "heterosexuality" is less than 150 years old and that heterosexuality's history has never before been written, given how obsessed we are with it. In Straight, independent scholar Hanne Blank delves deep into the contemporary psyche as well as the historical record to chronicle the realm of heterosexual relations - a subject that is anything but straight and narrow.

The Title Says It All

Wonderful!

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-30-16

Any additional comments?

Not what quite what I had expected, but fascinating, informative, and delightfully in-depth all the same.Highly recommended, especially to those interested in the subjects of gender, sexuality, or mate selection.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

The Book of Tea

By:
Okakura Kakuzo

Narrated by:
Alan Munro

Length: 4 hrs and 1 min

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
19

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
17

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
17

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo is a long essay linking the role of tea (teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese life.

Two hours of nothing but music at the end

Two hours of nothing but music at the end

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-09-15

This is a great book and the narrator does an excellent job, but the last one and a half to two hours of this book is nothing but music. It is nice music, though, and especially nice to listen to while drinking tea.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver's enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - "Q" is for "question mark". A world that bears a question....

I've never read a book quite like this one

Amazing; Well worth a credit

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-08-14

Would you consider the audio edition of 1Q84 to be better than the print version?

Probably. I rarely read longer books in any format other than audiobook. Not to mention that the narrators did such a fantastic job reading this that I highly doubt that I would have been moved by this book in the same way that I was while listening to it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There are many likable, relatable, and admirable characters in the book. My favorite character, though, was probably either Tengo, for his hardworking, but gentle and easy-going personality, or Fuka-Eri, for her odd ways of speaking and thinking that I could personally relate to (to a certain extent).

Annabel

By:
Kathleen Winter

Narrated by:
Tandy Cronyn

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
74

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
66

Story

4 out of 5 stars
69

Kathleen Winter’s poignant debut novel was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. In it, Winter explores society’s views of gender identity through the eyes of a child born with male and female sex organs. At their doctor’s urging, the Blakes decide to raise their child as a boy, Wayne, giving him hormones to suppress his feminine physical traits. But after discovering the secret about his body, Wayne decides to stop taking his medication and lets his body develop naturally.

Thoughtful, relevant.

A Very Well-Written Story That Sticks With You

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-06-13

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book spoke about the main characters and their personalities & preferences in a way that you felt that you could relate to each of them. Even the most serious adults were painted with an almost child-like appreciation for the things that they found beauty in. Also, I love the idea of masculinity and femininity complementing one another (rather than compete against one another), which (I feel) the book presents as one of the most beautiful things of all.

Any additional comments?

There is an a serious case of assault within the book, so it may be triggering to those who have been attacked.